Australian Age Championships, Day 9: Samuel and Luke Higgs Share Eight Gold Medals In Swimming’s Family Affair
FULL RESULTS 2025 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sydney teenage brothers Samuel and Luke Higgs have celebrated a remarkable week of family success stories with the 2025 Australian Age Swimming Championships coming to a spectacular close at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre last night.
Samuel, 18 and his 16-year-old kid brother Luke from the Warringah Aquatic Swim Club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches put the icing on their Australian Age cake – both adding to their gold medal collections.
ANYTHING YOIU CAN DO: Little brother Luke Higgs joins big brother Samuel in celebration mode too after his four gold medals. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia
Luke taking out the 16 years 400m freestyle, following his wins in the 800 and 1500m freestyle and the 400IM.
With Samuel also taking his gold medal tally to four with his win in the 200m backstroke to go with his golden swims in the 200m freestyle and the 200 and 400IM – his 400IM time a 2025 World Junior Championship qualifier.
The Higgs boys, under coach Angelo Basalo, collecting a total of eight gold medals in a meet that also saw some extraordinary family stories.
With Chandler’s 15-year-old Wearing twins Lincoln and Isaac (Coached by Tsuyoshi Kimura) unleashing three special 1-2 finishes to collect gold and silver medals in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyles – Lincoln adding gold in the 800m freestyle and the 200m backstroke.
Lincoln started his 2025 Australian Age Championships campaign with a record-breaking bang, crushing another Olympic legend’s record.
In December it was two-time Olympic champion Grant Hackett’s long-standing 1500m 15 years time – set in 1996. This week Wearing has sunk a Mack Horton record.
The Brisbane schoolboy won the 15 years’ 800m freestyle in a new National record time of 8 min:03.73 (57.44, 1:59.05, 3:00.34, 4:01.795:02.77, 6:15.87, 7:19.95;) bettering 2016 Olympic champion, Horton’s previous mark of 8:04.74, set back in 2011.
And not forgetting the Mulcahy sisters Lexi and Isobel from the Australian Age Champion club Carlile, Lexitaking a golden treble in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle and sister Isobel also going the distance, winningthe 15 years 800 and 1500m freestyle double – the Mulcahy sisters taking home a total of five gold, two silver and two bronze medals between them.
The last night also saw another eye-catching performance from Victorian teen sensation Henry Allan (Bendigo East; Coach John Jordan) who chalked up his fifth win of the meet and in another World Championship qualifying time of 1:59.53.
Finishing with five gold, one silver and two National records: The boy from Bendigo scooped the pool in his age group and smashed two national records in the 100m backstroke with his Australian All-Time Top 10 time of 53.73 in the boys’ 16-years 100m backstroke and a sizzling 24.88 in the 50 backstroke, also winning the 100 freestyle, 50 and 100m butterfly.
Why does this meet last for 9 days?